"Hypothetical" president elect dies prior to inauguration; Do we conduct a special election?

@Burnley123 im investigating

@Burnley123 but if the predident werent ever sworn in yet id think the chain of command might be altered its never happened. I just wonder.

@jehova This is all covered under the Presidential Succession Act. Let's say Mike Johnson hadn't been confirmed as House Speaker, so Jan. 20 rolls around and there's no President, Vice-President, or Speaker. It's not even clear if the election could be certified in that case, as the House must have a Speaker before it can conduct any other business, including certifying the electoral votes. The presidency would then pass to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, which is the longest-serving senator in the majority party. In this case, that would be Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

But let's imagine that there is no Senate majority due to a 50-50 split. Since there's no VP to break the tie, there's no President Pro Tempore either. In this case, the presidency would pass to the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. Cabinet members don't lose their positions during a presidential transition until they either resign or are fired by the incoming president, so Blinken would still be there. If he wasn't available, the succession would pass down through the cabinet in the order the departments were established.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_line_of_succession

Anyway, these are all good questions and fortunately our leaders have already thought about them.

@BizSuitStacy i dont much like biden either. Candidates younger than retirement age would be in everyones' best interest.

@LeopoldBloom thanks that sounds right.

@carpediem likewise grandpa back to your coldwar bunker to dream of a defeated ussr.

@HobNoblin i notice you havent snswered the question.

@jehova Vance becomes president.

@HobNoblin ok thanks thats seems like it shouldnt be the way its done. It is though.